


A Quiet Moment

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Fluff, Kinda, Love, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: Zelda and Link sit together, and she notices how exhausted her poor knight looks.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 243





	A Quiet Moment

**Author's Note:**

> can’t stop won’t stop
> 
> kudos/comments always appreciated!

Zelda sat beneath the tree, looking down at the Sheikah Slate with a small frown. Her study of these runes seemed to be getting her nowhere fast, but she wasn’t going to give up, either. Besides, she rather enjoyed learning.

Leaning back against the trunk, she placed the slate in her lap, looking up to take a small break. Not far away from her, Link stood by himself, practicing with his sword. It wasn’t as rushed as he was when facing a real monster - no, today, he was allowing himself some slack, practicing his form much slower than before. His back was to her, so she allowed herself some selfish time to watch him. He moved so swiftly, so easily, as if that sword was an extension of his own body. She yearned to be more like him - but she knew her own time would come. It had to. She wouldn’t let Calamity take her friends from her.

Calamity, though, had yet to present itself. Today was a beautiful day in Hyrule, and they were a little ways from the castle so that she would not have to face her father. She knew she should be training, but she’d been training relentlessly this week - an hour or two of studying runes certainly wouldn’t hurt. But of course, Link would never allow her to go on her own, so here they were.

Link slowly lowered his sword, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. He turned around and she met his eyes, as blue as the sky above them, and her ears reddened a little. “You seem to get along quite well with that sword.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, but thankfully, something else caught her eye, and a hand flew to her mouth as a quiet giggle escaped her. “Somehow, a few twigs have made their home in your hair. Come here, I shall help you.”

The boy frowned, sheathing the sword and reaching to grab one of his bangs, before slowly nodding. Perhaps he realized it would be more efficient for her to do it instead of picking through it himself. Kneeling down in front of her, she reached forward, trying to steady shaky hands to pluck the twigs and grass that had somehow gotten into his blond hair. Somehow, though, it was still soft, though many knots had gotten into his ponytail. It didn’t take long, and she hesitated a moment before pulling her hands back.

As he lifted his head, she realized how close they were, and she felt her heart begin to race. He smiled a little in thanks, but she found herself just studying him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him smile, and...had those dark shadows beneath his eyes been there all along? He looked so tired.

Somehow, she found her voice again, after what felt like an hour. “Perhaps...you would let me do something with it?” she asked, tilting her head a little. “It may be easier to manage, and maybe you will get less nature in it.” She smiled again as he considered her offer, then gave a slight nod, moving to sit in front of her.

Tucking her legs underneath her, she gently grabbed onto his hair tie, carefully pulling it out of its place and rolling it onto her wrist. As gold hair fell in messy waves around his shoulders, tension seemed to leave him. She wondered if he ever took his hair out.

With that, she began gently combing her fingers through it, working their way through the knots he had accumulated during his training and fights. Parting his hair, she couldn’t help but pause as she noticed a large amount of scars along the back of his neck and shoulders. It was like she had seen something she shouldn’t have - and she knew better than to ask. It wasn’t like he would tell her, either. He didn’t like to speak, and so she knew virtually nothing about his past.

Pushing those thoughts away, she scooted over to the right to work on that side of his hair, mostly trying to figure out what she wanted to do. A braid may be nice, and keep it out of his face. She needed to figure out what to do with those bangs of his, but as she continued to run her fingers through, she noticed his eyes were closed. Brows furrowing, she slowed her pace, watching his chin dip down for a moment before returning to its normal place.

The poor boy was falling asleep sitting up. She couldn’t help but wonder - how long had it been since he’d rested properly? She knew _she_ hadn’t been sleeping very well, but he…

Some guilt pushed its way through her chest. Not only was he chosen by the sword, he had to spend every waking moment worrying about her - and he worked hard to ensure he would not fail. She wondered if he sacrificed his own needs to do so.

Zelda swallowed, letting her hands slowly fall from his loose hair, knowing she ought to nudge him and tell him to return home. But she knew her sweet knight, and she knew he would refuse. Instead, she found herself gently grabbing the opposite side of his head, carefully guiding him to lay down. His head lay in her lap, and perhaps he was even too tired to realize what she had done, because his eyes did not even so much as open.

Link’s hair splayed out behind him, and it didn’t take long for the tension to leave his body. She hadn’t ever seen him so relaxed before - his lips parted just a little, one leg straight and the other bent, face turned in just slightly toward her. And he looked so _young_ ; it was easy to forget when considering his skills and talent, but he was still just a boy. And her age, at that.

All she could do was stare, knowing she shouldn’t be doing this, that he might even be angry with her when he woke. She didn’t even want to think of the possibility of someone finding them here like this; Hylia forbid it be her own father. But how could she allow her knight to continue on without rest? That was, at least, how she was justifying it to herself.

Because...he was adorable like this. Handsome, even. She was seeing him in a new light - seeing past the stoic exterior of the hero, and seeing the boy within. Slowly, she began threading her fingers through his hair, now knot-free, in an attempt to calm him - and maybe herself - a little further. And for just a moment, she saw him smile, before his face relaxed again.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and she felt herself melt a little. Goodness, she was in so much trouble.

“It’s alright,” she whispered, cupping his cheek lightly before she realized what she was doing. He leaned into the touch, and she smiled fondly in a way she wouldn’t be caught dead in. The feeling blossoming in her chest...she didn’t want to dwell on it. “You must allow yourself this time to rest. I won’t be going anywhere.” 

And she kept this promise for as long as he had needed it; simply sitting with him, playing with his hair to ensure he had a restful sleep. When his brow finally furrowed and his eyes blinked open sleepily, it was almost dusk. Upon meeting hers, he went completely rigid and sat up so quickly that they almost bumped heads.

Zelda couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s alright! Please don’t worry, Link.” He was staring at her wide-eyed, and even with the waning sunlight, she could tell he was incredibly red. It was adorable. “You needed the rest, did you not? You really ought to take better care of yourself. You aren’t invincible, you know.” Despite the words, she found herself sounding quite fond, and she was pretty sure she was still smiling. He seemed to relax a little, though he looked away sheepishly. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head. “There’s no need to apologize. I don’t mind.”

Getting to her feet, she brushed herself off, then took a step closer as he also stood. His hair still fell loose around his shoulders, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Still, she smiled wistfully and rolled the hair tie off of her wrist, placing it in his hand.

“Here you are.” As she pulled away, their fingers brushed for a moment, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she nodded. “Come along, I’m sure my father must be wondering about our whereabouts. He will understand when I tell him we went to the Spring of Power to train all day.”

Link stared blankly, then the ghost of a smile appeared on his face again. He closed his eyes for a moment, nodding in what she knew was his way of saying thanks.

Her own smile grew, and together, they headed back to the castle. Rather than paces behind her, he stayed by her side - and quite frankly, she preferred it this way.


End file.
